Parenting 101

Recently our local paper reprinted a column from The Washington Post titled "How parents can really help students" by Mari-Jane Williams.

I have put her suggestions in bold below while my thoughts about her thoughts follow.

1. Let Your Child See You Making Mistakes.
She quotes a kindergarten teacher who suggests that parents let their children see them laugh about mistakes, not taking themselves too seriously. Is that like laughing at the State Trooper who wants to see your license, insurance and registration? Or like laughing off forgetting to feed the pet snake and turtle while the kids were at camp and trying to replace them with exact replicas before the kids get home? Or by laughing off the failure of one more round of rehab.

2. Don't Tell Your Child You Weren't Good at Math.
They will figure this out soon enough on their own, when you divide five M & Ms four ways and you get two. Or when you suggest they save their .25 a week allowance for that $350 bike in the catalog. Or when you give them your monthly bank statement along with your check book to reconcile? Or when a note comes home from the math teacher telling you to 'bug off' from your kid's homework.

3. Check Their Homework and Then Have Them Explain it to You.
Absolutely the most boring of all the suggestions, this means that you as parent must sit through one more go-around of the Gettysburg Address, the Constitution of the United States, the flora and fauna of all 50 states plus the history of Warrick County, Indiana. About fifth or sixth grade, the work gets harder and more complex, leaving many parents in the dust. Ms. Williams writes, "Even if the parents don't understand quite what the student has done, it lets you know that the child has completed the task." Actually it lets the parent know that the child has completed some task, perhaps the same task completed last week or by their best friend. This is the point at which a hired tutor is helpful.

4. Help Your Child Make Connections to Literature.
For example, when you spend all the Christmas money on redecorating the master bath room she can relate that to the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. When she complains about the three-times-a-week cereal for dinner she can remember Oliver Twist who only wanted, "More, please," which is also a wonderful reminder of his good manners.

5. But Don't Do Everything.
Okay !

And that's what I think about it.